Buffalo Sabres: Who stays and who goes

Jochen Hecht will be returning to the lineup and that raises the question of who stays and who goes?  Kevin Sylvester points out that someone will be out of the lineup but more importantly John Vogl points out that the Sabres need to make a roster move.  There are plenty of options but it seems that Vogl is on the right track.  Keep in mind that Tim Connolly is injured agians and if he his really injured he could be placed on IR and the Sabres would not have to send anyone down to the minors.

Non-Waiver Options

The following players can be sent to Portland without having to clear waivers.  This means that the Sabres can send them back and forth without the risk of losing them to another team.

• Andrej Sekera-  he isn't going anywhere.  He is a fixture on the blueline and could be one of the best defenseman on the team.  It really doesn't matter that he can be sent down without waivers...he is here to stay.
• Patrick Kaleta-  Most people think he is here to stay as well and they are probably right.  It is however a vviable option for Lindy to send him down for a short time, knowing he's only an hour down the road...oh wait it's a bit longer now but you get the point.
• Drew Stafford-  After the way Stafford played in his rookie season I never thought I would be saying that he could be sent down but it is a real possibility.  Stafford has struggled so far this season and he was a disappointment last season as well.  I still think that Drew could be a real good player in this league but maybe some time in the minors will do him some good.

Waiver Options

The following players would need to clear waivers in order to be sent down to the Portland Pirates.  All other NHL teams would have the option of picking up this player and their contract.

• Nathan Paetsch-  Paetsch has obviously fallen out of favor with the coaching staff but he still holds too much value to be placed on waivers.  Paetsch is still a viable option when injuries pop up and we know they always pop up.
• Andrew Peters-  Everyone knows that I would love to see Peters waived but I can't see it happening.  He is popular in the room and he is the teams union representative. 
  
• Matt Ellis-  Ellis is the newest member of the Sabres having been claimed off of waivers one week before the season began.  Ellis has been a healthy scratch of late and may be a prime candidate to be placed on waivers.

It probably comes down to Stafford and Ellis to be a former member of the team.  Based on all the injuries the Sabres have had already they will probably keep Ellis on the active roster for depth.  If that is indeed the case, it would mean that Drew Stafford will probably be sent to Portland to work on his overall game.

As Lindy Ruff previously stated...Matt Ellis is a defensive forward so you can not measure his value in points.  Drew Stafford is however an offensive forward that is measured strictly on his total points.

As you can see by a look at his career stats, Drew is off to a slow start. A couple of weeks in Portland may be exactly what Drew needs in order to become an impact player in the NHL.